Got this press release today:

Gulfstream Park today announces the resignation of Bill Murphy from his posts as President and General Manager, effective October 30. Gulfstream Park opens its 2010 meeting Jan. 3 and Mr. Murphy will assist with the management transition as opening day approaches.

“I’d like to thank Magna Entertainment Corp. and Frank Stronach for the opportunity, and honor, of working with an incredible staff and with the greatest horsemen and jockeys in the world,” Mr. Murphy said. “I can’t say enough about the employees here. They successfully ran a business through the five years that this property was under constant construction. They put a great deal of pride into their work and I am very proud of my association with them.”

Mr. Murphy started at Gulfstream Park in June 2006 as a Vice President in charge of racing and in January 2007 was made President and General Manager.

Greg Rayburn, Magna Entertainment Corp.’s Chief Executive Officer stated “I would personally like to thank Bill for his contributions to Gulfstream Park and MEC over the years. He was instrumental in keeping Gulfstream Park the premier track for winter racing on the East Coast following our rebuild. We look forward to building on the solid foundation Bill helped establish as we look to the opening of the Village at Gulfstream Park and a new racing season.”

Working to get more info... Any thoughts or comments?

More in tomorrow's paper; watching UM and Gator games, filed the story for tomorrow's paper.

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I take back anything bad I said about Key West: A state legislator there says he's drafting legislation to get the pari-mutuel portion of the compact rolling.

St. Pete Times' Shannon Colavecchio beat me to it, but here it is.

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Slot machines, poker chips and cards -- and, hopefully, money. Plenty of places for the swine flu to lurk.

The Isle Casino and Racing has announced initiatives to prevent the spread of the flu virus.

The casino has advised employees to wash their hands frequently, make an effort to avoid contact with individuals who have the flu, if sick, stay home and limit contact with others and get a flu vaccination.

The Isle also has placed seven alcohol based (70 percent ethyl alcohol) hand sanitizer gel dispensers throughout the casino floor.

"I am most concerned with the health and well-being of our team members and our guests during what could be a very challenging flu season. We are taking steps to decrease the spread of flu by keeping our team members healthy and taking common sense measures to stop the spread of germs in our public spaces," said Michael Bloom, general manager and vice president of the Isle.

Dr. Frank Toscano, an emergency physician who writes about health and poker for Ante Up magazine, says the Isle is doing the right thing.

"They're doing a superb job," he says. "Almost everybody is going to be exposed to the swine flu.I think the key thing to understand is that the swine flu is not necessarily more dangerous than previous flus, except that it's far more contagious

"But say only a tiny percentage gets sick, it's a tiny percentage of a very large number. That makes for a lot of people," he says.

Toscano wrote a column earlier this year explaining that people can't get bacterial infections from handling poker chips, but was grossed out when Tiffany Michelle was shown eating and playing cards during the 2008 World Series of Poker. The difference is bacteria vs. a virus, he said.

"The studies done on poker chips cultured for bacteria, and there aren't that many transmitted on the chip," he said. "Viruses are different. The swine flu does live even on hard surfaces, such as chips and slot buttons. So those hard surfaces need to be disinfected and that's encouraged."

He also tells people to get a flu vaccine -- and not the seasonal flu vaccine.

Meanwhile, poker players should be advised not to touch their nose and mouth while they're playing until after they've had a chance to wash their hands.

As far as eating at the table: Some poker rooms will put nuts or a little party mix it in a tiny medicine cup, so patrons can pour it into their mouths without touching it. Dr. Toscano says that's much preferable to, say, eating nuts or potatochips out off the bag with your fingers.

"The bad stuff is going from chips to fingers to food to mouth," he said.

The same goes for smokers. They should wash their hands first, although Dr. Toscano doesn't advise anyone to smoke.

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The best player in the game, a logger with no credit card or cell phone and the possiblity of the youngest champion in World Series of Poker history.

“Those three storylines alone are facscinating,” ESPN’s Norman Chad said Thursday at the network’s pre-series press conference.

He's referring to Phil Ivey, who has won seven WSOP bracelets; Darvin Moon, the chip leader, a logger from West Virginia; and 21-year-old Joe Cada.

ESPN will show a feature at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Ivey in its show, E-60. Coincidentally (?) he's on the cover of this week’s ESPN The Magazine. Then the final table narrows to nine in the 9 p.m. telecast.

Part of the conversation focused on Tuesday's telecast, where Ivey mucked his hand, although it was a winner. He had a pair of eights, and four spades hit the board. He mucked when he saw an overpair, costing him about 2.1 million chips.

"On the tape; my first reaction wwas something’s wrong with the tape; I just couldn’t believe it was happening," Chad said. "It was like watching Michaelangelo drop his paint brush.".

The November Nine meet Saturday, play down to two, who vie at 10 p.m. Vegas time Monday night.

Other topics: Jeff Shulman apparently is the only player with a coach, and he has Phil Hellmuth.

"It’s either the greatest move in history or the greatest mistake in history," Chad said. "He could win the main event and be overshadowed by his coach."

Lon McEachern on Kevin Schaffel of Coral Springs: "He’s not a flash in the pan. He’s been playing longer than anybody else. He carries himself well and is very charismatic."

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Three casinos are getting into Halloween, encouraging patrons to dress up.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood is having a Scary Rock Star Costume Contest tonight. First prize is a $16,000 package that includes a motorcycle and $5,000 cash; second prize is a $3,700 package that includes a cruise for two. Registration begins 7:30 p.m. for the contest at 9 p.m. Contact: SeminoleParadise.com/scaryrockstars

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is giving away more than $5,000 in cash and prizes at its costume contest Saturday. Register between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. for the contest at 11. A Haunted Masquerade Carnival dinner and live entertainment party will be 8 p.m. Saturday, for $55. Contact: SeminoleCoconutCreekCasino.com; 954-977-6700. And a Haunted Masquerade dinner and party benefiting the SOS Children’s Villages Florida will be 6 p.m. Sunday, for $50. Contact: 954-420-5030

Mardi Gras Gaming Casino and Racetrack in Hallandale Beach invites all to its Hallo-Gras III Scarefest costume contest at 8:31 p.m. today. The casino will award $500 cash and trophies for scariest, funniest, most original, best casino theme and best couple. Contact: PlayMardiGras.com; 954-924-3200.

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Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is hosting a satellite tournament at 8 p.m. Nov. 12 that will give the winning two-person team a free trip to Las Vegas to compete in the fifth annual World Series of Beer Pong.

Entry fee is $20 and players will receive $20 in free play in the casino.

"We expect a big turnout,” said Seminole Casino Coconut Creek GM Steve Bonner.

Last year's WSOBP, created by BPONG.COM, drew more than 800 players from the United States and Canada. This year's event is Jan. 1-5 at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

Grand prize is $50,000, with additional payouts and prizes for second through fourth place winning teams.

Beer Pong consists of an 8-foot table on which 10, 16-ounce cups are arranged in bowling pin formation and filled with approximately four ounces of liquid each. Each two-person team takes turns tossing ping pong balls into their opponent’s cups. If a ball goes in, the cup is removed. The first team to eliminate its opponent’s cups wins.

Satellite tournament registration forms are now available at the casino’s cashier’s cage and by phone at 954-283-2826. The tournament is limited to the first 64 teams registered.

Participants must be 21 years or older. For more information email BeerPong@stofgaming.com or call 954-283-2746.

Second prize at Coconut Creek is $1,000, third is $750, and the top 12 get at leat $50 in free casino play.

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Four days don't make a casino, but it certainly could predict a bright future.

Flagler Dog Track, now also known as the Magic City Casino, averaged $472 win per machine in its opening four days, Oct. 15-18, according to Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering records.

In English: They made $472 each day off of each of its 700 slot machines. By comparison, the Isle made $168 per machine Oct. 12-18, Gulfstream took in $145 that week and Mardi Gras $100.

Now, admittedly the comparisons are unfair because a.) Flagler had an unexpected opening-day curiousity rush of people, a newness factor working for them and b.) they have only 700 machines, so "win-per-machine" is kind of bogus. The Isle has 1,459 slots, Mardi Gras 1,354 and Gulfstream 849. Flagler's average would dip if they had more machines.

Still, as I wrote when the casino opened, they must be doing some things right.

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I asked him. Twice. Even kind of pleaded.

But it looks like any hope of getting true no-limit poker in Florida will be tied in to the compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Gov. Charlie Crist was at the Hard Rock Monday, and did a brief press conference. All the good reporters at the paper here were in computer training so it fell to me to go.

While I did the compact story we all had to do, what I really wanted was to offer my idea: Why not segment the compact into two pieces with the drop in slot taxes for pari-mutuels and no-limit poker as one part and push that through? Then deal with the tribe on its own?

Or even just push through no-limit poker? (Right now our 'no-limit' is stuck with a $100 max buy-in.) No one objects to that, not the tribe, not the paris, not the legislature.

So my first question was to ask about breaking up the compact. The guv said no. My second question, was "so, you're not in favor of breaking up the compact?" (I'm not the sharpest guy on my feet.) Also a no.

Finally, after the official news conference was done, I walked with him to his car, following the lead of Channel 10's Roger Lohse.

"I'm a poker guy," I said. "I'm just trying to get a crumb here."

He laughed. "I don't gamble," he said. (Irony warning: What about this high-stakes game of chicken going on...?) And off he rode. At least he heard one voice from the poker community, expressing some frustration about how far our state is behind the rest of the nation in poker.

My real take is that he won't push through any one piece of the compact -- even if all agree -- because it changes the bargaining dynamic. Right now, the paris have an interest in getting that compact through, pronto. To give them the tax break and/or poker would give them the chance to hardball the Seminoles. Kind of like speaker Larry Cretul's point that the Seminoles can drag its feet with the state as long as the blackjack cards are flying. Same difference.

Still it's just frustrating. No reason the no-limit poker could've been passed July 1, like gambling changes were last year. Or even Aug. 31, when the Seminoles rejected the compact. Now it looks like it'll be a long, long time. On the Two Plus Two Poker Forum, PokerXanadu advises that it might not be until next July 1, if the compact is dead.

If you want to encourage Gov. Crist to do something about poker, click on Share This below, and email him this item and put the words "No-Limit NOW" in the topic field. His e-mail is Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com.

Your thoughts?

(Photo by the Hard Rock's Ralph Notaro.)

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Gov. Crist is at the Hard Rock today:

MEDIA ADVISORY

Governor Charlie Crist will attend the United South & Eastern Tribes’ 2009 Annual Board of Directors Meeting today, Monday, October 26, 2009. This year’s meeting will celebrate the non-profit, inter-tribal organization’s 40th anniversary.

Following this meeting, Governor Crist will be available to the media.

OK, I'm going. E-mail your question by 2 p.m. Thanks.

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If you bought a lottery ticket in Palm Beach County about six months ago, then check your pockets. And if you bought a ticket this week in PBC, you might be a winner.

Read on:

The Florida Lottery announced that a Fantasy Five top-prize ticket worth $70,814.43 remains unclaimed. The 180-day limit to claim the top prize expires at midnight Tuesday.

The winning Fantasy 5 numbers for the April 30, 2009, drawing were:

10 – 11 – 28 – 33 – 35

The winning ticket was sold at: Publix, 11977 Southern Boulevard, Royal Palm Beach.

Players who may have purchased Fantasy tickets at Publix in Royal Palm Beach are encouraged to check their tickets for the April 30 drawing, the lottery said. While any Florida Lottery retailer can validate the winning ticket, the Fantasy 5 jackpot must be claimed at a Florida Lottery district office or at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. Players may obtain additional information by calling the Player Information Line at 850-921-7529 or visiting the Florida Lottery’s website at flalottery.com.

Meanwhile, someone hit the Fantasy 5 last night in Palm Beach County. The winning ticket is worth $202,127.13.

The numbers were 12 - 22 - 25 - 27 - 33 and it was sold at Mr. Shipper, 6586 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach.

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ESPN.com's new 30-minute poker show, ESPN Inside Deal, focuses on Coral Springs' Kevin Schaffel in its next webisode, which airs at noon Tuesday.

He's in sixth place in th World Series of Poker, which resumes Nov. 7.

The Inside Deal crew will ask him about preparations and how the recent deep runs will affect his confidence heading into the final table. Fans can submit a question via e-mail at insidedeal@espn.com and watch previous episodes of ESPN Inside Deal at http://espn.com/insidedeal.

As far as the TV show goes, it resumes at 9 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN and focuses on Phil Ivey and Jeff Shulman at the feature table, as well as Darvin Moon, a logger from Maryland.

Meanwhile, bracelet winner Antonio Esfandiari is at table two, and out in the field sits the last woman left, Leo Margets whose hope is to become only the second woman ever make the Main Event final table.

So, not much air time for Schaffel this week, either. But his brother, Jordan, says that could be an advantage. For example, on last week's show, chip leader Darvin Moon flopped a straight, and his opponent folded. Moon told him "good fold, I flopped a straight. You'll see it on TV. I'm an honest guy."

Could that info help everyone else? Or are we thinking too much?

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Our Michael Mayo has the big story today: The state's legislative leaders are asking George Skibine, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, to shut down the Seminoles' blackjack while the compact is being negotiated.

Here we go...

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Like slot players watching reels spin, South Florida casino executives are holding their breath.

Horse track and dog tracks are waiting for the state to lower a 50-percent tax rate on slots, worried about increased competition and adapting to a down economy.

Casinos operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida are stuck waiting on an agreement with the state that spells out whether they can have blackjack and other table games -- because they'd like to build hotels at their Coconut Creek and Immokalee casinos.

And all are angling for the Florida state legislature to listen to their arguments as a gambling compact is being negotiated.

But at least all of them were in the same room Tuesday for the Florida Gaming Summit at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

Three horse track and dog track owners said they're losing money, and would be even if the economy hadn't tanked.

"If we were a stand-alone property, with no corporate structure, we wouldn't be here," Mardi Gras' Dan Adkins said. Gulfstream Casino & Racing and Isle Casino & Racing officials made similar comments.

"By any stretch, performance has been poor," said gambling industry analyst Adam Steinberg of Morgan Joseph and Co. For example, casinos operated by horse and dog tracks expected to make $350 to $500 per slot machine. The latest figure by the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering puts it a $124 per machine in September.

Steinberg said the projections were too high, because they couldn't compete with the Hard Rock.

"They knew coming in they were going against an 800-pound gorilla," he said.

Mardi Gras VP Dan Adkins suggested a lower tax could help the casinos work to develop tourism. The state will lower the slot tax to 35 percent, if the compact is approved. The legislature might discuss it at a special session in December.

"Florida is so primed for drawing outside dollars. It's what we need to be focused on," Adkins said. "If we could be a full casino [with blackjack and other games], people would take visiting us over, for example, Biloxi. Why not?"

Currently, more than 90 percent of his customers are locals, Adkins said, while New Orleans, for example, has about 65 percent locals and 35 percent tourists.

But analyst John Maxwell of Jefferies & Co. said: "It's going to be difficult to go beyond being a local casino. You don't have much capital to put in."

Adds Steinberg: "Florida gets a lot of tourism, but it's the wrong kind for gambling. It's families with kids." He noted that Disney, for example, would not take kindly to Florida being marketed as a gambling state.

Meanwhile Seminole gaming CEO James Allen said the Hollywood Hard Rock and the six other Florida casinos operated by the tribe would be hurt if parimutuels statewide added blackjack, as Adkins and others request.

The overall expansion of gaming stresses the market, Allen said, noting how more gambling in Pennyslvania has contributed to a free-fall in Atlantic City.

"The days people drive 2-3 hours to go to a casino are slowly diminishing," he said. Internet gambling also "is coming, and it's coming incredibly rapidly."

Allen said if the compact were approved giving the Seminoles exclusivity, Florida could receive $3 billion over 20 years from the tribe.

The parimutuels could produce $10 billion over the same period, said Isle of Capri Casinos CEO Virginia McDowell, launching the first of many grenades during a luncheon speech. The Isle in Pompano Beach is among her casinos.

"Despite participating in a process to design a legislative solution, the Tribe has now decided they still want more," she said. "The expansion of gambling on tribal land does little to benefit the citizens of Florida, as the tribe is not required to pay taxes. Not a dime."

Further complicating matters is the opening of Miami-Dade casinos. Flagler opened as the Magic City Casino last week and Calder Race Course, on the Broward-Dade line, will open in a couple of months.

"As it expands, are we just splitting more of a fixed pot?" Chris Jones of Telsey Advisory Group asked.

The Seminoles started gambling in 1979 with a Hollywood bingo hall and have been trying to work with the state on an agreement ever since, Allen said. In 2007, Gov. Charlie Crist and the Tribe came to an agreement that would bring blackjack in exchange for $150 million in payments, but the courts determined that Crist had no authority to negotiate such a compact.

This spring, the legislature offered a compact to the Seminoles, who sat down with Crist and made a counteroffer in the summer. The legislature could have called a special session this fall to vote on it, but declined.

"We 100 percent want a compact, I think you can say it's gone on too long," Allen said. "We want to work with the governor, we want to work with the legislature and we want to work with the parimutuels."

Allen repeated Tuesday what he has been saying: The Seminoles can live without paying the state anything, and just competing, and he points to federal law supporting that the Seminoles would be within their right to do that. Or, the Seminoles could pay the state an amount, and have some form of exclusive product. But the state can't get both Seminole money and give other gambling venues the same games. By his count, he has heard from 138 lobbyists, representing a variety of interests.

"For the time being, it's a mess," Oppenheimer analyst David Katz said. "And a range of outcomes favorable for all concerned doesn't seem all that clear. The pieces have moved around so much."

Steve Geller, a former state senator and recognized as a gambling authority, said the compact talks broke down because Crist, the Seminoles and the legislature need to all negotiate together, rather than the state send a compact to Crist and the governor to then send it back.

"Without a three-party negotiation, it's doomed to failure," said Geller, who was term-limited from the legislature and is running for Broward County Commission. He was the president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States from 1995-2007.

And Dania Jai-Alai, which Boyd Gaming bought with the intention of rebuilding into a full casino and hotel, remains just a jai-alai fronton. The company says opening a casino under the current conditions would not be prudent.

"Boyd Gaming was the smartest one," Geller said. "At least they didn't pay $200 million to build and get deeper in debt."

Meanwhile, Allen called the Tampa Hard Rock "possibly the world's leading performer in casino profitability," a testament to a.) the operation and b.) the casino's niche as the only game in the Tampa-St. Pete area.

The Hard Rock brand, which the Seminoles acquired a few years ago, is the magic word, he said.

"There's not a shortage of opportunities, both in gaming and the restaurant business," he said. He left to fly to Budapest for a meeting.

OK, folks, that's what I got from the summit. Please, give me some comments.

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Calder Race Course will open a 29-table poker room Friday, featuring comfortable chairs, longer-than-usual operating hours and easy access to playing the ponies.

The horse racing track, at the Broward-Dade line, is also adding slot machines, sometime early next year. They are also transitioning their name. It'll be Calder Casino & Race Course.

The poker club will be called the Studz Poker Club (perhaps named after our veteran horse writer, Tom Jicha?) and is on the first floor of the grandstand at the west entrance -- kind of a link between the new casino and the existing track. It's the first attempt at poker since having 12 tables in a dumpy room in the early 2000s -- a poker room that closed in 2004, just as poker began to boom.

The poker room manager is Chris Trabue (pictured at left), 37, who worked 11 years for Isle casinos, most recently at the Isle Pompano Park. He hired 92 dealers (including Robert Grimsley, right, from San Diego) from 380 applicants -- all of whom he brought in for auditions, because as he noted, it's about the people.

"We want the people to feel like they're at home," he said. The dealers came from all over, including cruise ships, Arizona, Connecticut and local dealer schools. They're been training since Oct. 5 at Calder.

He also had a hand in the chairs -- and as a guy with a balky back, I gotta tell you, he did well. They're made by Gasser Chairs, the "gaming industry leader for ergonomically comfortable seating solutions." Soft, yet structured, I guess would be my comment.

Because Calder has two racing permits -- the other being the old Tropical permit -- they can stack them to get around the state's 12-hour limit on poker rooms. So Calder will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays, then will go 24 hours on weekends, meaning you can play all night Friday and Saturday. Mardi Gras and Dania, both with two permits, also have longer hours. Gulfstream, the Isle and Flagler are limited to 12 hours.

The longer hours come in handy for late-night tournament players: Calder will have a 1 a.m. tournament weekends nights, with a $200 buy-in, starting with 5,000 chips. There are 13 other tournaments: Monday through Friday is a $100 at noon, and another one at 7 p.m. -- $150 on Mondays, $120 on Tuesdays, $350 on Wednesdays, $60 on Thursdays. There's also a $100 at 6 p.m. Friday, a $550 at 11 a.m. Saturday (with 10,000 chips) and a $120 at noon Sunday and a $250 at 7 p.m. Sunday. All but the $60 start with 4,000 to 6,000 chips. There's also a bad-beat jackpot.

Players can book tournament seats through PTSeats.com. There's also a player's club setup that combines poker with the upcoming slots, and a comp system, Trabue said. Amenities include 31 TV monitors, tableside food and beverage service, massage service, and pari-mutuel wagering on live and simulcast Thoroughbred racing.

The minimum age is 18, the same as in the rest of the state. Calder, near the Land Shark/Dolphin/Pro Player/Joe Robbie stadium, hopes to get post-game patrons, as well as regulars from either side of the Dade-Broward line. The address is 21001 NW 27th Ave., Miami Gardens. Find more details at www.calderracecourse.com/poker.

For more, see a video shot by our SouthFloridaLive.com TV crew.

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After not having a $1 million slot winner in its more than five years of being open, the Hard Rock hit its second $1 million plus jackpot in less than a month -- on the same machine.

It came Saturday night, paying off $1,028,215 to a person who wished to remain anonymous. (Can't blame 'em.) The game was the Megabucks Video MegaJackpot and the woman played 75 cents per spin (the max bet).

If you're searching: the winning machine is in the southeast quadrant of the main casino, near the Council Oak restaurant.

The jackpot costs the Hard Rock almost nothing: That's because the casino is part of a Native American progressive gaming network that includes over 300 casinos nationwide. So each time a coin is played in a linked machine, anywhere in the network, the jackpot accumulates until it is won. The Hard Rock -- and every other casino -- root for the progressives to hit at their casino. It's the best marketing you could want.

The jackpot starts at $1 million, then increases as people play the machines. On Sept. 29 the casino paid the first-ever Florida Megabucks MegaJackpot of $1,110,779. They're catching up: In July 2008, the >Seminole Coconut Creek Casino paid a $2 million on a Wheel of Fortune Special Edition machine, and last November the Tampa Hard Rock hit for $2.5 million.

The Seminole Immokalee Casino got the state record on Aug. 30, with $3.5 million on a Wheel of Fortune $5 progressive game.

Megabucks was developed by IGT. A press release said she came to the casino for an “evening out” and chose the winning machine at random. She has no immediate plans for her winnings beyond “collecting them.” (You know, I was at a wedding early Saturday and gave a woman who liked gambling my card. I told her if she hit a jackpot to call me and give me the exclusive. Hmmm...)

Florida parimutuels have progressive slots approved, as part of new gambling laws, but it's being held up while the state and the Seminoles negotiate a compact -- it's all rolled together.

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(Updated from Tuesday)

The Florida Lottery announced Thursday the winner of $900,000, who matched all four numbers plus the Megaball in Tuesday's Mega Money drawing. It got lost in the big news of the $189 million Powerball winner.

Howard Kemp, 56, of Davie won the $900,000 jackpot.

The numbers were 02 - 06 - 12 - 33 and the Megaball was 17.

(As I posted earlier, I'm a basketball guy, so No. 2 is Larry Johnson, No. 6 is Julius Erving, No. 12 is Dwight Howard or John Stockton, No. 33 is Larry Bird, and No. 17 is John Havlicek. Pretty good team.)

The winning ticket was sold at Nova Royal Mart, 3690 SW 64th Ave. in Davie. The retailer will receive a bonus incentive of $3,000 for selling the jackpot winning ticket.

Lottery officials said Kemp chose to take a lump-sum payment of $640,254.60.

Kemp plans to use the cash to pay off his Davie home and retire on his 40-acre property in Madison, according to officials. (Apparently he declined to have his photo taken; state Sunshine laws dictate only that a winner's name, age and hometown be released. From there on, it's up to the individual.)

While I wish that money would stay here in Broward, I gotta say live well, Mr. Kemp. Enjoy.

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How good are nautical people at poker or betting at jai-alai?

We're about to find out.

The Triton magazine -- "nautical news for captains and crews" -- has arranged for a crowd of about 2,000 to hit Dania Jai-Alai tonight, according to the fronton's Marty Fleischman.

"The fronton will be hopping," he said.

Dania will have its regular 6:30 tournament ($50 buy-in), but is adding another $50 Triton tournament at 8 p.m.

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Florence Hecht (left), 92, slid a $20 bill into the Wild Safari slot machine and pushed the button.

Daughter Barbara Hecht Havenick and four grandchildren -- including Jenny Bielawski, who wept – crowded around next to her.

Flashbulbs popped. It was a family photo they’ve wanted to take for decades, and it made history.

The first pari-mutuel slot facility in Miami-Dade County opened at 10 a.m. Thursday: Flagler Dog Track and Poker is now the Magic City Casino.

The casino put in 700 slot machines. Miami-Dade voters approved slots in 2008, and Flagler is the first pari-mutuel to add them. Calder Race Course will open early next year.

“I was so excited for today that I woke up every hour last night,” said Hecht, whose family pushed for casinos in the county since buying the dog track in 1954. (It opened in 1939.) “I guess everything good comes to those who wait.”

Havenick is the CEO. Her husband, Fred, pushed for slots for more than three decades before dying in 2006. Her three sons – Alex, Isadore and Michael – have worked in the dog track business and now will run the casino.

“You have no idea how long we have been anticipating this day,” Isadore said. One street bordering the casino is named after his father; the one intersecting it is named after his grandfather, Isadore Hecht – Florence Hecht’s husband, who died in 1977.

Alex Havenick picked out games popular with Hispanics, including 35 Diamond Lotto machines (played by Amada Colsa, far left). They were all full by 11 a.m. Thursday, and other patrons vultured over the players, waiting for an open machine.

He said he went incognito and quizzed Miccosukee Gaming customers, who are mostly Hispanic, four days a week for 18 months. In the 3-mile radius surrounding Magic City, 80 percent speak Spanish as their first language.

“And we have 300,000 people in that 3-mile radius around our casino,” Alex Havenick said. “So there is pent-up demand for gambling.”

The Miccosukees, located out Tamiami Trail, have an advantage because they pay no state tax, he said. Magic City’s advantage is being in the center of Miami-Dade and that it is a non-smoking casino, he said.

The casino had a “soft opening” Thursday – with very little advertising – yet more than 150 people lined up before the doors opened at 10 a.m. and employees scrambled to work out first-day bugs.

The grand opening is next month. Isadore Havenick said the family wanted to be open by Nov. 1 – grandma Hecht’s 93rd birthday – and to feel the family’s vibe for Flagler/Magic City, one needs to merely look at the name of the casino restaurant.

It’s Tres Hermanos – Spanish for “three brothers.”

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Here are the results of the 2009 $325,000 Seminole Hard Rock Fall Poker Open Series held at the Poker Room at Seminole Paradise at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

Event Date Entries Winner 1st Place Prize Pool

1 10/2 209 Anonymous (It wasn't me!//n.s.) $7,180 $25,000
2 10/3 110 Geddes Cooper/Lauderhill $11,055 $33,000
(Bottom right picture)
3 10/4 125 Dale Allen/ Miami Gardens $4,875 $15,000
4 10/4 167 Nigel Murray/Miami Gardens $3,059 $10,020
5 10/5 139 Robert Moody/Long Branch $2,670 $8,340
6 10/5 125 Leon Benmargui/Hollywood $10,156 $31,250
7 10/6 177 Steven McKean/Miami $6,370 $21,240
8 10/7 212 Nigel Murray/ Miami Gardens $3,616 $12,720
9 10/9 267 Mohammad Masoud/Homestead $73,080 $267,000
(He's the big photo on this page.)

10 10/11 205 Jacqueline Eichler/Miami Beach $3,531 $12,300
11 10/12 161 Nicholas Visconti/Boca Raton $14,732 $48,300
(Bottom left picture)

Totals: Entries: 1,897
Prize Pool: $484,250

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More than 200 walkers gathered for the Steps for Life walk Saturday at the Isle Casino & Racing.

The benefit for Gilda's Club of South Florida raised almost $5,000, and is one of several events the Isle's parent company has been a part of at its casinos across the country this month.

For more info, go to www.gildasclubsouthflorida.org.

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I wrote today about how virtual blackjack is making its way to South Florida casinos, but of course there's more to tell. So here's a question-and-answer session with myself:

What's the gist?

South Florida pari-mutuels with slots asked for virtual blackjack -- with a prerecorded dealer on a screen -- and the state checked out their argument and said OK. There are 30 other jurisdictions that classify the machines as slots, because they work off a random number generator -- i.e. the same inner guts as a slot machine.

What will the rules be?

Each casino can set the machine how it likes, such as 3-to-2 vs. 6-to-5 on a blackjack, whether to hit or stick on "soft 17" and when doubling down is allowed. They'll be marked clearly on the machines.

I want to play blackjack for 25 cents or $1. What about the video blackjack and Keno that you see as an option on most video poker machines?

It's coming. The pari-mutuels are converting their machines.

What's the video roulette like?

Picture a rectangular screen, long-wise, and the roulette betting board. The Hard Rock has had them for more than a year, solidifying the argument that these count as slots.

The racinos asked for this more than a year ago. Why did these take so long?

Part of Florida's growing pains when it comes to gambling. The state has been cautious about following the language of "what is a slot," and said some versions of virtual blackjack really aren't slots. So they were doing due diligence, they say.

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Poker, the compact, racinos and Wall Street are among the topics on the table at the fifth annual Florida Gaming Summit Monday and Tuesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Seminole Gaming CEO James F. Allen will be the keynote speaker. Other topics include an analysis of Florida gaming from Wall Street's perspective, a review of slot machine performance and expectations in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, a discussion of tribal gaming and an overview of the political and legal issues currently impacting the Florida gaming industry. (They use the word "gaming" in the industry; our paper uses "gambling" to stop it from being confused with video-gaming, and to conform with AP Style.)

Isle of Capri President and CEO Virginia McDowell will give the keynote luncheon address.

The popularity of poker and the rise of table games is another topic, and will feature Joseph Coffey, Owner of Ocala Poker; Greg Karan, General Manager of the Palm Beach Princess Casino; Sam Minutello, Director of Poker Room Operations for Sarasota Kennel Club; and Paul Mollo, Director of Casino Administration for Seminole Gaming. They will review how poker has impacted parimutuel facilities over the past decade and explore the expanding role table games will have in Florida's gaming future.

For information, go to www.floridagamingsummit.com.

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The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is getting into the poker tournament business, even though the casino has only a small room that requires an elevator for patrons to find it.

The casino started a $100 tournament at 11 a.m. Wednesdays about six weeks ago, and is drawing about 45 people each week.

Next, in November, will come a $150 tournament, with $50 bounties, at 7:30 p.m. Fridays. Both tournaments start with 8,000 units and have 20-minute rounds.

The casino is at 5550 NW 40th St., Coconut Creek. Call 1-866-222-7466.

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I wrote earlier about the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's "Rock & Ride" Harley-Davidson Giveaway, but there are other promotions at the casino in October as well:

$70,000 free play giveaway: Win $10,000 a day on Oct. 11, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 29. Swipe your Player’s Card daily for an electronic entry from 6 – 9:45 p.m. Virtual drawings will be held throughout the casino. Ten winners will each receive $1,000 in free play at a grand prize drawing to be held at 10 p.m. on each day, respectively.

$40,000 Wall of Winning: From noon-9 p.m. through Oct. 26, one player per hour will have a chance to win from $250 to $5,000 in cash. For a chance to win to $10,000, daily, players swipe their card for an electronic entry from 5 a.m. – 8:45 p.m. Then, virtual drawings will be held throughout the casino to select players who will choose from one of 50 panels on a cash board. Players have three minutes to claim their prize.

Player’s Club members 55 and over are eligible to join the “Classic Rockers” and participate in the “Classic Rockers Giveaway” on Tuesdays (6, 13, 20 & 27) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to win a share of $2,750 in cash and free play. Swipe your Player’s Card daily for electronic entries and get an additional entry for each 50 points earned. Virtual drawings will be held throughout the casino for five participants who will draw from five envelopes containing first place of $250 cash; second place of $100 free play; third place of $75 free play; fourth place of $50 free play and fifth place of $25 free play. Classic Rockers may also enjoy a breakfast special for $5.55 in the Blue Plate consisting of two eggs, two bacon, two sausages, two pancakes and a cup of coffee from 6 – 11 a.m. and can receive a complimentary sandwich, salad or burger with the purchase of any entree, salad, sandwich or burger and two beverages in the Hard Rock Café on Tuesdays.

The casino has also introduced new Power Play Coupons that allow players to take their free play directly to their favorite slot machines. They insert the Seminole Wild Card into a machine’s card reader and insert the free play coupon.

Double Poker Dollar Comps on Wednesdays and Thursdays (up to $1 per hour). Comps will be redeemable at a variety of restaurant and retail outlets and more. Please see the poker host stand for more details.

Texas Hold’em High Hand of the Hour every day from 10 a.m. - midnight and obtain $50 in cash, and free entry into a specified evening tournament in October ($100 value). Entries are transferable and non-refundable.

A $199 Royal Flush Bonus every day in October. Royal Flush in qualified hands and must use both hole cards and will receive $199 cash. (Only for Texas Hold’em jackpot eligible games.)

Four-of-a-Kind daily beginning at 6 a.m. The first 20 four-of-a-kind will receive $50 cash and a free entry into a tournament in October ($75 value). Entries are transferable and non-refundable. (Only for Texas Hold’em jackpot eligible games.)

Big Slick Tournament on Saturday, October 31 at 11 a.m. features a $75,000 guaranteed prize pool with a $1,100 buy-in, 10,000 chips and 50 min levels. (Super Satellites on October 16, 23 & 30 at 7:30 p.m. and October 29 at 2 p.m. with a $150 buy-in)

The “$325,000 Fall Open Poker Tournament,” Oct. 2 – 12. What's left:
Event #9, (Day 1A) Friday, October 9 at 11 a.m. with a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool; $1,100 buy-in
Event #9, (Day 1B) Saturday, October 10 at 11 a.m. with a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool; $1,100 buy-in
Event #9, (Final Day) Sunday, October 11 at 11 a.m. Surviving Players from Day 1A & 1B will meet in Finals.
Event #10, Sunday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m. with an $8,000 guaranteed prize pool; $75 buy-in
Event #11, Monday, October 12 at 11 a.m. with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool; $350 buy-in

Center Bar at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has kicked off football season with drink specials. 560 WQAM Radio’s Sid Rosenberg every Monday night. Every Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday night this fall are games and drink specials.

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Dania Jai-Alai is having another of its $40,000 guarantee tournaments at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, while also continuing its UF football promotion.

First prize pays $15,000 (based on 250 players). Buy-in is $250 and players start with 10,000 units. For some other casinos, this is a normal tournament, but it is equal to the largest ever at the fronton, which doesn't have slots -- or as many visitors -- as the other casinos.

Meanwhile, the fronton will show the 8 p.m. UF-LSU game in its new skybox. Barbecue dinner is only $7.90 and a free pitcher of beer goes to folks wearing Gator garb. (If anyone needs beer, it's a Gator fan.)

Final news out of Dania: Mark Theodore of Hollywood took home the trophy in the monthly Dan Le Batard celebrity poker tournament last week. He was among seven who chopped the final prize money, each taking home $1,093.

I got knocked out after being dealt a pair of eights, in a five-way pot. Flop hit 9-8-2, giving me my set. Woman in front raised, another caller, and I re-raise. After a queen on the turn, I push it all in. Lose to a pair of nines/set of nines from the original raiser.

Usual question: Did I mess up?

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The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is giving away a truck each Thursday and has promotions every day this month:

On Mondays is the Silver Star slot tournament, from 9 a.m. to noon. The top prizes are all in free play. The top 30 get awards. There's also Swipe and Score, from 5-9 p.m. Mondays with vouchers for Fresh Harvest restaurant, free play, cash and other prizes.

From 7-10 p.m. Tuesdays is Mystic 8 Ball, with two winners each hour for free play and cash.

From 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays is the Conquer the Captain slot tournament. The top five get $200-$1,000 in free play, and each hour one person will be randomly picked to be the captain. Anyone who beats the captain’s final score will win $25 Free Play. The captain will win a total of all scores he/she beats.

From 8-10 p.m. Thursdays is Truck or Treat, with five winners each hour. At 10 p.m. a person wins a 2009 truck.

The Slot 'N' Nosh Tournament is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays. Entry of $20 includes lunch. The top 10 winners share $5,000 in prizes.

From 4-7 p.m. Saturdays is High Seas Adventure. One winner each hour picks picks a case, which contains a cash prize up to $20,000. If the winner does not pick the case with the $20,000 an additional $20,000 will be added each hour until someone picks it and they will win the total.

From 1-4 p.m. Sundays is Looney Bin of Loot, with six winners each hour for cash and prizes from $300-$2,000.

The casino is at 5550 NW 40th St,, Coconut Creek FL 33073, west of interstate 95 and the Florida Turnpike and east of the Sawgrass Expressway, about one-fourth of a mile east of State Road 7.

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Raj Vohra of Lake Worth and Norman Contreras of Fort Lauderdale shared the top money in the Isle Open Deepstack main event, which concluded Monday.

Each took home $30,500. Jose Torres of Cooper City earned $18,500, followed by Rex Raymond III of Sarasota ($17,500) and Sharon Levin of Fort Lauderdale ($17,353). Buy-in was $900.

The tournament also had a famous name: Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi of Miramar showed up and finished eighth, with $4,301.

Daniel Vranich of Lake Park won $23,705 for finishing first in the $550 event, which drew 162 players. Jason Leet of Aventura ($15,256) and Timothy Morgan of Pompano Beach ($9,396) were next.

Vranich and Derek Buonano of West Palm Beach shared the top prize in the $330 bounty tournament, each getting $8,341.

Meanwhile, the Isle started its $60,000 high hand giveaway Tuesday, with a $10,000 drawing on Monday as the highlight.

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For those with Jason Mercier fatigue, click away. The rest of you... more good news.

On Monday, Mercier captured an undercard event at the European Poker Tour’s London stop, winning $185,000 U.S. The buy-in was £2,500.

Mercier had won nearly $450,000 U.S. for his fourth-place finish at the WSOPE Main Event, plus he won a pot-limit Omaha bracelet in Las Vegas earlier in the summer. He signed a Team PokerStars deal shortly thereafter.

Congrats to AnteUp Magazine for beating me on this one.

This quote from PokerStars, which also has a nice 3-minute video on him:

"I'm really pleased. It was quite a fast structure and at one point early on the final table I got short but won two coin flips in a row. That got me back up and eventually when I got heads up with Bruce Atkinson I was down 2:1 in chips. But I kept chipping away at his stack and managed to take a 5:1 chip lead. I got all in first with Q-9 to his K-6 and lost, but next hand I pushed with 4-4, he called with A-2... and I won."

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The Palm Beach Princess casino will give away a wave runner, a Yamaha V Star 1300 or Mustang Convertible this month.

Also going on at the casino:

Double Point Madness all month: Double points every cruise, triple points on Mondays

$500 slot tournament every Tuesday, for a $10 buy-in

Jackpot Bonus every Tuesday night. The largest jackpot of the night wins an extra $300; it becomes $500 if it's in the last hour of gaming.

$500 Double jackpot day every Wednesday on any red, white and blue theme slot machine.

Hot seat slot promotion every Thursday. Random slot players are chosen to win cash prizes

Double down Tuesdays: Stay over from the day cruise to the evening cruise and receive free a la carte dining.

Spin and Win every Wednesday evening: $300 to the top Roulette winner of the night

Blackjack tournament every Thursday evening: $5,000 final on Oct. 29

Blackjack Party Pit: Every Friday and Saturday evening - $5 tables, music and giveaways

WTP Satellite Tournament on Oct. 17

Elvis impersonator on the evening of Oct. 16

NFL Tailgate Party every Sunday in the Sports Book

Halloween Boo Cruise, Oct. 31 evening, including a costume contest with cash prizes.

Call 561-845-7447 or 1-800-841-7447

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The $189 million Powerball winner in Orlando Saturday? The odds were in our favor in Florida.

Florida is No. 1 among the 30 participating states (and the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands) for Powerball sales, selling about 15 percent of all tickets, said Chuck Strutt of the Multi-State Lottery Association.

"It's just a statistical likelihood that the state would have more winners," he says.

He didn't have a figure for ticket sales, but by my math: with about $3.25 billion in sales a year, that means we sell more than $9 million a week in tickets.

Of those sales, 40 percent goes to state education, 10 percent goes to retailers' sales commissions, vendors and operational expenses, and 50 percent is paid back out in prizes.

While Saturday's jackpot winner was the first since Florida added Powerball in January, we've already had 13 $1 million winners. Those are players who have picked five of five numbers but not the Powerball. But they did pick the Power Play option -- which makes for an automatic $1 million.

But it's not as intriguing as a $189 million winner -- who still hasn't come forward.

"We’re glad we’ve had this winner," said the Florida Lottery's Laurie Wright. "This is what we’ve been waiting for."

The Powerball winner needs to travel to Tallahassee to turn in the ticket and claim the cash. The Orlando Sentinel's Gary Taylor says he has a rumor that the winner is associated with SunTrust Bank. If so, he's gotta get with Mr. Drysdale.

By state law, they have to reveal their name, hometown and age. Anything else, it's up to the Lottery folks to persuade them to spill. It's in the Lottery's best interest: A good, human story makes us think it could happen to us -- so we buy more tickets.

Back to the data about Florida Powerball ticket sales. Why do you think we're No. 1? Do we like the game that much? Do we have no slots in most of the state, so it's our big thrill? Are we suckers? Or optimists?

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A Pompano Beach man is $2,000 richer after picking all 14 NFL game this weekend correctly -- against the spread -- in the Isle Casino & Racing's $1 Million Pro Football Challenge.

The man, who the casino identified as "Richard L," played two tickets, according to the casino. (You get one ticket per day when you visit the casino.) He usually plays only one ticket per week, but this week got a second ticket, and changed the games he wasn't sure about.

The casino's football contest awards $1,000 a week cash to whoever picks the most games correctly. It throws in a $1,000 free play bonus if you have a perfect week, like Richard did. There's also a $2,500 bonus for winning and nailing the Monday night game -- pretty long odds, although my quick pick ticket this week had Vikings 42, Packers 14. The final was 30-23, but emotionally it felt like a 42-14.

The game is called the $1 million challenge because if you hit two-thirds of the games against the spread for the season -- odds of that happening are pretty remote -- you get $1 million. We're only into week four, so I'm not checking yet to see if anyone's sniffing at the big money.

I'm not much of an NFL predictor, especially against the spread, but I'm curious: Was this a particularly easy week for picking, with seven games carrying lines of more than 7 points?

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Isle Casino Pompano Park will host Steps For Life, a 3-mile walk to benefit Gilda’s Club of South Florida on Saturday.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.; the walk begins at 9 a.m.

A $25 registration fee includes breakfast, T-shirt, keychain and stuffed Sparkle dog (a Gilda's Club staple).

Walkers may bring their dogs along to participate. To register, visit the Isle at 1800 SW Third St., or go to www.gildasclubsouthflorida.org.

The event is one of several that Isle of Capri Casino properties across the country are conducting to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In addition, Isle of Capri Casinos has partnered with jewelry designer Diane Katzman to create a custom-designed keychain as prizes for some of these events. Many properties will also be giving away Katzman’s freshwater pearl bracelet. Diane Katzman Design will donate 10% from Isle of Capri’s purchase to the St. Louis Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, according to a press release.

I usually don't give them their p.r. quote, but because of the cause, I think I should in this case:

"Isle of Capri Casinos have always been very dedicated to supporting charitable organizations in their communities," said Virginia McDowell, president and chief operating officer, Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. "Cancer is a cause that touches the lives of too many people. We are proud to support these organizations as they strive to find a cure, while at the same time help those who have been affected by this disease."

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Hey, was anyone up in Orlando yesterday, and did you stop and buy a Powerball ticket?

If you stopped at Sandlake Chevron, you might be jumping up and down right now. (Click on the map and figure out what theme park is closest, help me out on that one, folks?)

The Florida Lottery announced that one player matched all five numbers and the Powerball in Saturday's drawing; hitting for about $189 million. It's the first Florida Powerball jackpot hit since the game came to the state in January.

The winning numbers were: 12 - 24 - 48 - 50 - 57 and the Powerball was 22.

The winning ticket was sold at Sandlake Chevron Food Mart, 7331 W. Sandlake Road, Orlando.

Powerball is the mega-jackpot lotto game that is played in 30 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is administered by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). The game’s starting jackpot is $20 million, and increases with each rollover if no one matches all five numbers plus the Powerball.

Powerball his hit eight previous times this year, and the $189 million is the third-highest jackpot of the year. There was a $259 million hit Aug. 19 in South Carolina and a $232 million in South Dakota on May 27. I follow it a lot but am nowhere near the Lottery Guru. That's Gary Taylor of the Orlando Sentinel, who does a lottery blog called Mr. Lucky. The Orlando Sentinel also tracked down the guy who sold the winning ticket, and the paper's Bianca Prieto wrote him up today. They also note that to get the entire $189 million, the winner must agree to take annual installments for 30 years. If you want it all right now, the lump-sum payment will be $101,160,403.68. Federal income taxes -- millions, perhaps one-third of the payout -- will be computed based on which option the player takes.

The Lottery had expected it to be about $193 million and used that estimated figure, but the actual sales now put it at $189 million (either way I'll take it). In some ways, it's fitting for Orlando to be the site of the state's first winner: As part of the agreement to join Powerball, the MUSL agreed to have the televised drawings emanate from Orlando this year.

But on the other hand, wouldn't it stink if the winner weren't from Florida? Or worse yet, some tourist from another country?

Or does it not matter to you? Just curious.

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Hoye Perry, who worked at the Palm Beach Kennel Club since 1937, died Friday. He was 89.

Mr. Perry worked at the kennel club for 72 years -- that's 504 dog-years -- and was regarded as the face of the kennel club, taking bets from patrons as a mutuel clerk most of his final years.

For the first 60 of those years, he worked mostly weekend and night shifts because he also held a day job as a paint consultant, with Reed Auto Supply and with Palm Beach Consolidated in West Palm Beach. In the late 1990s he decided to work just at the kennel club, his wife of 63 years, Mary, said.

"He always had a smile on his face," Mary said. He had been away ill from the kennel club since March 29, she said.

Mr. Perry, of Palm Springs, began working at Palm Beach Kennel Club about five years after the track opened. His first job was as a leadout -- walking dogs out to the start of races. He earned $3 a night. He eventually went to work in the "calculating room," where all the odds and payoffs were done with pen and paper. The tote board wasn’t electric until the late 1940s.

"There were people inside the board who would manually put up the odds on wooden placards as they receved them by phone from the Mutuel Department. There were no T.V. replays, no poker rooms and no simulcasting," said Mr. Perry, in a kennel club press release two years ago, noting his 70th year there.

As a mutuel clerk, he enjoyed for decades watching the regulars who came to his window No. 321 when they won, and commiserated with them when they lost.

"I love the action, I love seeing people win and most of all, I love the people I work with. They are like my second family," he said in the same interview.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; a daughter Vanna Mitrov, and a son, Brent Perry, of West Palm Beach, and five grandsons.

Mr. Perry will be cremated. A book signing tribute, followed by a short service, will be from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday at I.J. Morris Funeral Directors, 5411 Okeechobee Blvd. Donations can be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County.

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The Isle Casino & Racing is having perhaps its largest poker promotion ever, Oct. 6-12.

On Oct. 6-7, the high hand each 30 minutes gets paid. You get $500 if you're in a no-limit game, $200 in a limit game.

On Oct. 8, high hands are $800 until 6 p.m. for no-limit, $200 for limit.

$500 cash drawings are Oct. 9-10, at 3, 6, 8 and 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Oct. 11 is high hand every hour; $599 for no-limit, $200 for limit.

It ends Oct. 12 with $2,000 cash drawings at 3, 5, 7, 9 and 1 a.m. and $10,000 at 11 p.m.

Every high hand winner from Oct. 6 on is given three drawing tickets. All other four of a kinds receive one drawing ticket.

At each drawing, the Isle will draw until there is a winner. Players will have 30 seconds to contact an Isle employee to collect their prize.

The other rules, standard to most high hand promotions, apply.

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Jason Mercier faltered in the final table at the World Series of Poker Europe, but still came home in fourth in the field of 334.

Card Player magazine CEO Barry Shulman, whose son, Jeff, is one of the November Nine, won the tournament, collecting £801,603 for first place. The cash prize is equal to about $1,283,687 in U.S. dollars.

The final table included six former WSOP gold bracelet winners: Daniel Negreanu, Chris Bjorin, Praz Bansi, Matt Hawrilenko, Shulman and Mercier. And two November Nine players, James Akenhead and Antoine Saout.

Mercier, from Fort Lauderdale, has been one of tournament poker’s most successful players over the past year. Mercier, who won the $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event earlier this year, also won the EPT championship at San Remo (Italy) as well as the £1 Million Showdown, in London. He entered the day with the chip lead but lost his lead and was eliminated with £267,267 in prize money, about $400,000.

He is sponsored by PokerStars.net, which made news because it is starting a poker show after NFL football on Oct. 11. The release is below (only lightly edited):

The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge, debuts Oct. 11 directly after NFL on FOX coverage. The series gives online qualifiers a chance at a seven-figure payday.

Players who win specially designated online tournaments at PokerStars.net will submit a 60-second video for the chance to be a contestant on the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge. Each person selected will receive roundtrip airfare and accommodations to the show’s taping in Los Angeles for themselves and two friends.

The Game
Players will face a four-level gauntlet of heads up matches, win and advance. Lose and go home:
• Round 1: Take on a celebrity defender such as reigning Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole, Super Bowl Champion, six-time Pro Bowl selection Jerome “The Bus” Bettis or MMA champion Tito Ortiz.

• Round 2: Face a top Team PokerStars.Net Pro 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker, three-time WSOP bracelet winner Barry Greenstein, rising poker star and newest Go Daddy girl, Vanessa “Lady Maverick” Rousso

• Round 3 and Round 4: Winning the million dollars won’t be easy – back-to-back heads up matches against four-time WSOP bracelet winner Negreanu.

Getting past the first two defenders is a tough task, but the challenger will have help. For each of the first two rounds, Daniel Negreanu will serve as a coach, discussing hands and offering advice, first sitting at the table beside the challenger in the celebrity heads up match, then moving into a specially-designed isolation booth when the challenger takes on the Team PokerStars.net Pro. For every level Negreanu helps the challenger win, PokerStars.net will donate $10,000 to a charity of Negreanu’s choice.

The prizes for each victory

• Round 1: A trip to the Bahamas for the PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure

• Round 2: $25,000. Take the money and walk or risk it against Negreanu for a chance to win $100,000.

• Round 3: $100,000. The money is yours and you earn a seat at the final show’s Table of Champions, where one player will have a chance to play Daniel heads up for $1,000,000.

• Round 4: A life-changing $1,000,000.

If the celebrity defender beats the challenger, they earn $5,000 for their favorite charity. If the Team PokerStars.net Pro beats the challenger, they will earn $10,000 for their favorite charity.

The five-episode series airs Sundays after NFL on FOX on October 11th and 18th, continuing on November 22nd and December 13th and concluding with the heads up finale against Negreanu for $1,000,000 on December 27th.

Plus, the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge wouldn’t be complete without something for poker fans at home. Viewers will have a chance to enter a freeroll tournament on PokerStars.net as part of the PokerStars.net $100,000 giveaway. Twice during each show, PokerStars.net will announce a special contest that will give viewers a chance to win easy money.

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The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has begun a big Harley-Davidson promotion that could yield 10 motorcycles to one person and nine friends.

Visitors can hit the kiosks near the Hard Rock Cafe with their Player’s Club card from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

They’ll see a touch-screen with 20 icons in a virtual scratch-off game, which they can play once a day. They pick six of the icons.

Here’s what they get:

If zero Harley symbols appear of the six picks: 800 Player’s Club points
One Harley: A buy-one-get-one appetizer at Bluepoint Ocean Grill in Seminole Paradise
Two Harleys: 4,000 Player’s Club points
Three Harleys: A $10 food coupon to casino restaurants (other than the Hard Rock Cafe) or the Renegade Barbeque Company
Four Harleys: $100 cash
Five Harleys: A Harley-Davidson motorcycle
Six Harleys: 10 Harleys, one for the winner and nine friends (or a $200,000 cash alternative)

Participants also receive a coupon for free Buffalo shrimp or chicken strips at Hard Rock Hooter’s with a purchase of $10 or more; and a drawing entry for a custom Screaming Eagle Harley worth about $40,000. That drawing is Nov. 25.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood also is conducting drawings for a Harley at 5 p.m. Sundays and 9 p.m. Wednesdays, through Nov. 25.

The promotion began Thursday.

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Cash, Super Bowl tickets and a Corvette are among the October promotions at Isle Casino and Racing, as well as food and beverage specials.

The casino's $1 million Football Frenzy competition is under way. The casino will give $1 million to those who pick 165 out of 245 games correctly (but if you haven't started yet, you're three weeks behind). Still, if you pick 100 percent of the games correct for the week you get $1,000 in free play. Also nail the Monday night game and receive a $2,500 bonus.

Every Sunday until Jan. 3, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., win a share of $15,000 in prizes including two tickets to the Super Bowl in Miami. The second floor has $1 draft beers, 25 cent wings and $2 hot dogs. The Marlins Mermaids will be there Oct. 4, and Oct. 11, 18 and 25 is a Harley-Davidson display with merchandise for sale

Every Thursday and Sunday, IsleOne card members can earn 5x points. Every Saturday in October, win a share of $2,500 in IslePlay during the Early Bird Sweeps. Drawings are at 11 a.m. and there are 21 winners.

On Saturday, Oct. 10 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. enter the $25,000 Treasure Chest Sweeps. Five winners will be selected at the top of the hour to select a treasure chest. Each participant will win cash or IslePlay from $250 to $5,000

On Saturday, Oct. 24, earn 25 points and get a scratch off worth up to $1,000 cash.

Celebrate Oktoberfest at the racetrack on Oct. 24 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. with a live Bavarian band and German food and beer specials.

Every Wednesday in October, IsleOne card members are invited to play in the Race for the Riches Slot Tournament from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fifty winners will take home a share of $10,000 weekly. Earn “jewels” based on weekly scores. The finale is on Dec. 30 and top score wins $5,000 cash.

Enter to win a Corvette and a share of $10,000 IslePlay on Oct. 31 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Crazy Car Sweepstakes. Receive 2x entries on Mondays, 3x entries on Tuesdays and 4x entries on Wednesdays during the month.

Food specials: The buffet is $9.99 for lunch and dinner on weekdays; every Saturday and Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., buy one seafood and prime rib dinner buffet for $23.99 and get one for half price. From 5-7 p.m. weekday evenings, it's $1 domestic drafts, wine, drinks, and hot dogs along with live music at the center bar, called Fling.

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Starting today at the Palm Beach Kennel Club’s poker room, if you make the high hand of the hour you earn the right to spin the prize wheel, and every spot wins cash. Possible prizes include $50, $100, $150, $250, and $500. This promotion is available for the high hand of the hour from noon till 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 1-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

For more information call 561-683-2222.

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